The Airport Tower as Art

A few years ago, the old control tower at La Guardia Airport in New York caught the eye of Carolyn J. Russo, a staff photographer at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., who was pregnant at the time and completing another photographic project related to flight. These two things, she said, inspired her newest project.

The result is a fascinating book of over 100 pictures of 85 airport towers, in 23 countries, called “Art of the Airport Tower” (Smithsonian Books). A yearlong exhibition of the work at the Air and Space Museum opened last month.

The towers are shot in stark, intimate fashion, revealing details and distinctive features that few might notice but reveal the character of the place. Ms. Russo recently spoke on the phone about her work and her inspiration. Following are edited excerpts from that conversation.

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A tower at Abu Dhabi International Airport.CreditCarolyn J. Russo

Q. What ties all these images together?

A. I wanted to showcase a significant landmark in the aviation landscape. I was trying to elevate them even higher than they are, and I was trying to treat them as something more powerful and with more presence.

How did the idea come about?

I just came off another project, photographing aircraft, and I was looking at aircraft much differently. The first time that I really looked at the La Guardia tower, it looked like an abstraction. I think it brings more awareness to the towers and how beautiful they are. I wanted my own view. I didn’t want a repeat typology. And I get to see a different angle from what everyone gets to see.

Towers are so vital to aviation and yet a lot of travelers don’t notice them anymore. Airports are so big and don’t often offer a view of runways or towers.

Yes, Some don’t. I hope this project will make you think about those amazing structures. They really are the choreographer of the whole airport. They are quite significant.

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This tower at Abu Dhabi International Airport is the only tower in the world that takes the form of a crescent.CreditCarolyn J. Russo

How long did it take to get the book and the pictures together?

I had the concept in 2006, and I started shooting in 2007. And now it is 2015. But for many years it was on the back burner. We had three or four other projects going along in the meantime, and it was like finding when time allows when I could travel.

Did you get inside the towers? Why not take pictures there too?

I decided not to. I was often invited to visit, and it was lovely to get an invitation, but I decided I wasn’t as interested. I love the views, but I was not interested in photographing the people working. The aviation language is the same. The people all love being in the tower. They have the best office in the world, and they are just passionate about it. I got to see that.

The airport tower seems like a pure architectural design where form must really follow function. How can they still be so distinctive?

I am not an architectural expert, really, but the early towers obviously were built for function. Now I really think form plays a huge part in it as well. Cities want their airports to look great. I think it’s a status symbol, what your tower looks like. I find they are both form and function.

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A tower at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland.CreditCarolyn J. Russo

Do they reflect how airport architecture has changed over time?

Yes, and it’s also a cultural greeter. That’s the first thing you see. And maybe that’s just me, but that is the way I saw them. You get the tarmac and you get the airport buildings. And you get the tower.